Putney Swope

When someone refers to the independent cinema realm in the United States it's often inferred that it means the filmmaker or people behind the project had much more creative freedom and did what they wanted. This, today, is not really always the case unless someone is a solid "auteur" and creative freedom still comes with the caveat that one has to find distribution with one of the independent divisions of major studios or by getting picked up somehow for some kind of low-level deal at a worthwhile film festival. But Putney Swope, Robert Downey Sr's film about a tough-as-nails African-American accidentally promoted to head advertising guru at a production company, *is* independent cinema, the kind of work that went right along with the likes or Romero's Night of the Living Dead and Cassavetes Faces at the same time of getting no real typical studio distribution but causing waves, kicking ass and taking names in the cinema world. For all its moments that are rough and crude, it's unforgettable.

It's also a film that is funny, very and excruciatingly funny. Sometimes the sense of humor is just so ridiculous it's nearly impossible not to laugh, from the mere appearance of the President Mimeo with his wife to lines of dialog from the advertisements Swope's team puts together like "I can't eat an air conditioner" in a real "soul" voice. It is as smart as the audience it is aiming at, which is anyone with two brain cells to put together who can see that this work isn't offensive or *too* shocking because it's meant to rattle the cage, and it does this pretty well in the first five minutes. Once that's past Downey Sr goes on his blitz of sorts as far as being a filmmaker with nothing to lose: his protagonist is part Fidel Castro, part Isaac Hayes circa 1972 (and yes it's 1969 in the film) and part hard-assed ad exec with a firing streak to make Mr. Spacely on the Jetsons look kind. And don't forget those side characters, dear God.

There's so many memorable lines and moments that it's hard to keep track. From maybe the most hilarious botched assassination attempt in any movie to the one ad for "Face-Off" skin cream that includes lines that would give South Park a run for its dirty-mouth money, to just little asides with the one guy from Jack Hill's movies playing the Muslim who keeps giving lip to Swope and that one boy with the the nun who curses up a storm and impresses Swope in a swift stroke. It's a pretty direct message about media and advertising, but there's also a lot of powerful moments where it just hits the nail on the head about racism in America, sometimes without having to do more than a gesture and sometimes with doing something HUGE like having black panther types going this way and that around Swope's advertising regime. And for a low-budget production (I mean super low, hence the comparison to Night of the Living Dead and Faces) Downey got some really good actors, all non-union, and it's hard to imagine that some of them might have had their first time on camera here.

It should be mentioned that Downey's style doesn't make it perfect: it is crude and sometimes too crazy and dated for its own good, and I'm sure I didn't get some of the underlying humor of a couple of the ads since I'm from a full generation after these ads were aired (albeit the "Miss Redneck Jersey" was definitely not lost on me). In general though this is one of the finest of its time period, a satire that stings and a feature with a predominantly black cast that is all too knowing of what comes from an excess of power, regardless of skin color. It is, as someone might say, "good s***."

Mad-magazine style put down of various late 60s US institutions, companies, groups and the advertising business in particular. It starts well in a board room meeting where the new chairman is chosen - a black guy with the title for a name. But the whole black jive stuff that follows is less sharp, and much of the humour was over or under my head. I liked certain Catch 22 moments, like the black boss telling the white guy he can't get a raise to equal his black colleagues' pay because then they will want a raise too. 'I didn't think of that', says the white guy. 'That's why we don't pay you as much. You don't think'. The repetition of certain lines and the repeated appearances of certain characters works on occasion too - like a photographer called Mark Focus who keeps failing to get work, or a pervert who abuses a 13 year old. 'At least he isn't superstitious'. But overall, despite some funny bits and some interesting b/w photography, my attention frequently wavered - aside from the actual ads, filmed in color, which kept you watching and we're mostly memorable. I'm sure at the time this was offensive to the establishment, but now it seems kind of muted.

When Robert Downey Sr. Passed away recently, I realized that I had only seen bits and pieces of this, his signature film. Even today, one can see how this Underground meets mainstream (by way of the counter-culture) satire struck a chord at the time.

A Madison Avenue advertising firm whose Executive Board "accidentally" votes to elect the sole black man, Putney Swope (Arnold Johnson), as their new chairmen - because they all thought the others would be too racist to vote for him. Swope cans most of the execs and installs people of color to most of the important positions of power. Swope has a white maid and makes a low level white man ride the freight elevator etc. Etc..

The basic kernel of an idea is a good one, and there are moments here. Unfortunately, the tone is dry. So dry as to be arid most of the time. The idea of turning the tables has some punch, but, most of them land pretty softly. The Un-PC tone has only gotten more so over the years.

The highlights are the TV commercials the firm, now dubbed Truth And Soul, Inc., produces - including a standout pimple commercial for 'Face-Off' cream with an interracial couple singing idyllically in the park. These sequences are the only scenes shot in color. They add some life, but, the fim doesn't really have any momentum. There are bits and pieces everywhere but they don't really add up. Swope hires and fires at every whim, but we rarely see anything get actually accomplished, yet the firm is supposedly swimming in cash and has advertisers literally begging to get a piece of Swope's wisdom. Even in a farce, there has to be some verisimilitude.

The mostly little known cast is dotted with performers like Allen Garfield, Antonio Fargas and Allan Arbus (Mel Brooks has a blink and you miss it role). The most amusing casting is dwarf actor Pepi Hermine as the German accented President of the United States. Director Downey dubs his voice in for Arnold Johnson, and his gravely delivery dominates the movie. Watching PUTNEY one can't help but notice how Robert Downey Jr.'s voice as the "black man" in TROPIC THUNDER has an uncanny resemblance to his father's here.

PUTNEY SWOPE delivers some jabs, but, in the end, it's one of those films which is more famous for its impact than it is actually successful.

Robert Downey Sr's PUTNEY SWOPE is an outrageous stab in the back of the advertising world. Apparently, Downey had a nose-diving career in the advertising industry, and this film are all his "I hate this job" daydreams while trying to endure it. The opening Boardroom scene is some of the most bizarre, wacky and brilliant satire ever committed to film. It's the story of the accidental voting-in of the Board's token black man as President of the agency (he's their Music Director). From there, Downey's daydreams turn the struggling white-led advertising company upside down and into the successful black-run "Truth And Soul" advertising agency (Complete with what you might call a corporate Intranet: "The Drum" -- see the movie, you'll understand). The movie is refreshingly un-P.C., with dialogue like, "I'm a happy Chink!" and the proposed advertising campaign that has Colombus meeting Indians with "cleft heads." Oh yes, and a pot-smoking midget President of the U.S.A. There's one thing that is really annoying (to me, anyway; others don't seem to mind): that the lead character's voice appears dubbed. WHY did they do that?? Was the actor unintelligible or something? In fact, looking at the credits for this flick, I see that Downey himself provided the voice for Swope. I sure wish he'd email me with the reason why... Also in the cast is actor Alan Arbus, himself a one-time Ad-man. If you like bizarre outrageous humor, this is a definite for you!

I heard about this movie when it came out but never got to see it. It must have played on the weekend I was busy. It finally was released to DVD and I bought a copy.

There is no way to rate this film. I have no way of predicting how anyone will respond to it: love, hate, detest, indifferent. Should you watch this movie your response will be somewhere in there.

I would have to say that it is a film for its time. A great deal of what it was satirizing at the time has changed so much that it no longer has any relevance in that sense. I remember at that time one of the demands of young movie goers was that films, indeed everything involving the culture, should be relevant. That was the 'buzz word.' This film was relevant alright, but almost forty years later I have to ask, "relevant to what?" I'm glad I finally got to see it. This film is touted as a comedy. I didn't laugh once while viewing it, though I did appreciate the acerbic wit. Some of it I found downright crude, though I'm sure that was intentional.

I will wait awhile and view it again some time. I have a feeling that I will get different things from it. I may even laugh at the stuff that's intended to be funny.

Would you enjoy this film? I don't know. Should you watch it? Oh yes, you should.